What exactly is a space fighter? We played with larger versions in Chapter Small, fast, highly maneuverable COMBAT SPACECRAFT.They have very limited range (never FTL), and no crew habitability to speak of; they can only operate for at most a few hours at a time.The crew is limited to one person, or occasionally two.  That varies depending on the context of the discussion, but the average person would probably point at an X-wing or TIE fighter. Thirdly, EMP technology and distance-hacking is in very wide use in-setting, neither of which is a concern to a flesh and bones pilot, so at the very least said sack of meat can serve as a failsafe. Zandy adjusted the magnetic nozzle of her drive and her thrust vector changed accordingly, slewing the interceptor in a corkscrew as she signaled the vector change back to her mother-ship.  Spacecraft are either assumed to be continuously manned when in use, or to operate with no human assistance whatsoever.  As Rick Robinson put it, “Your laser star may well have a human crew because the true primary mission is to welcome foreign dignitaries aboard and show off your gleaming uber lasers.”  Do note, however, that the laserstar under discussion was the equivalent of an aircraft carrier today, rare and mostly used for deterrence. Now with massively expanded multiplayer. No Man's Sky close Games videogame_asset My games When logged in, you can choose up to 12 games that will be displayed as favourites in this menu. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. ship.).  While the conventional landing gear would indeed need such holes, opening them unnecessarily increases the chances of something going wrong, as does cutting extra holes for the hook or beartrap system. In space, there is no air to bank off of! One example using handwaving faster-than-light starships is the Traveller Battle-Rider. reactors for the rocket engines of the NERVA project. The digital pattern contains the pilot's consciousness, memories, and combat skill. This would also enable the So I now have my answer to the mystery Gemini vehicle. Probably sensors or light weapons to kill unfriendly satellites. Everything about the "airport" aspects of an aircraft carrier point towards making it big: big engines, and big flight deck that is also elevated away from the turbulence of the ocean surface. Similarly, kinetic energy scales to the square of velocity, so power scales rapidly, too. The United States is not about to engage in nuclear war to defend any foreign country. This lead to USAF's decision to turn to intercontinental ballistic missiles as the primary nuclear delivery force instead of bomber planes. During re-entry an uncovered inlet will allow atmospheric drag to grab the poor aircraft by the nose and turn it inside out like a sock. The USAF figured the B-52 would need some kind of defense besides hiding and trying to look small. So 15 metric tons for heat shield is for a ship with a mass of 100 metric tons at re-entry (ship's total dry mass). The term deep air support, relates to close air support and denotes the difference between their respective objectives. He just points in the other direction. A fighter is pretty much just drive engine, enough delta v for its mission profile, minimal habitability for a minimal crew, and ordnance carried. Fighters do make sense in an orbital reference frame context, where, well, curvature of the earth matters, and where going into atmosphere matters.  The practicality of this approach depends on how the debate over manned combat aircraft turns out, a subject which lies outside the scope of this paper. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords - Walkthrough + Strategy Guide Variable thrust and gravity will send the pilot rocking, which the gyroscopic cockpit can only do so much to accommodate, and it has no life support, so he must remain in his space suit at all times. It also aims to leverage DARPA’s prior success in developing automated aerial refueling capabilities, as well the Agency’s current efforts to create advanced UAS capture systems for ships.